Two escaped prisoners killed in Punjab shootout

Two hardcore criminals who had escaped from custody after killing a police official were killed Saturday in a gunfight with police, an official said.

The duo was among the three prisoners who had escaped from custody while being taken back to Bathinda prison after a court appearance in Panchkula town in Haryana near Chandigarh Thursday.

Mansa district police chief Narinder Bhargava said that two prisoners, Kulwinder Singh and Nahar Singh, were killed while the third prisoner, Jaswinder Singh, escaped.

He said that the police party which intercepted them near Mansa, 200 km from Chandigarh, was fired upon and both prisoners were killed in return fire.

The trio had killed police head constable Avtar Singh, who was escorting them after the court appearance, after snatching a self-loading rifle (SLR) and escaped. The trio were hardcore criminals involved in crimes like murder and dacoity, police said, adding they were part of an inter-state gang.